• Boron hydroxide (boric acid) is an acidic compound. It is a very weak acid, which acts not as a proton
donor but as a Lewis acid, accepting a pair of electrons from OH:-
B(OH)3 + HOH
D
B(OH)4- + H+
• Borax powder Na2B4O7.10H2O (used in bug repellent, soaps,
pottery …) hydrolyzes in water to give the equilibrium mixture
shown.
• Lithium oxide Li2O is basic Period 2
• Beryllium oxide BeO is amphoteric
(amphoteric: acidic and basic properties)
• Boron oxide B2O3 is acidic.